IEDs

IEDs are soft sculptures based on the behavioral diagnosis “Intermittent Explosive Disorder,” a disorder characterized by sudden episodes of impulsive, aggressive, violent behavior or angry verbal outbursts that are disproportionate to the situation. IED is usually associated with additional mood disorders, such as Bipolar Disorder and Manic Depression.

Using divergent materials such as yarn, cassette tape, upholstery fabric, discarded clothing, ric-rac and thread, I bind and coil, cinch, sew, and truss the IEDs into awkward shapes to symbolize the physical embodiment of internal rage. Detached from each other and exposed on spider mount pedestals, each organ-like sculpture personifies an individual expression of the daily stresses and frustrations we accumulate and push down into a tightly bound knot of smoldering fury. These soft sculptures represent the 16 million Americans affected by IED and the exasperation and anger we all feel but desperately try to control and hide.

People with mental illness are often influenced by society to keep their diagnoses to themselves. As I explore my own identity as a sculptor, a mother, a wife and a socially engaged community member with Bipolar Disorder my focus is to engage viewers by allowing them to see the interior landscape of chaos. Through soft sculpture, I am able to juxtapose the sweet sentiment of plush objects with the hard truth about living in our society with fear, anxiety, emotional instability and manic depression.